David Nelson has
made a career of freelance Percussion and Timpani playing in the Philadelphia
area. He is Principal Timpanist of the
Philly Pops and the Lancaster Symphony.
He is a Percussionist with Orchestra 2001and the Reading Symphony. David performs regularly with the
Philadelphia Orchestra, the Delaware Symphony, and also plays with the Chamber Orchestra of
Philadelphia, the Opera Company of Philadelphia, and the Pennsylvania Ballet. In David’s travels he has performed with the
Malaysian Philharmonic, Honolulu Symphony, Charleston Symphony, Savannah
Symphony, New World Symphony (Miami, FL) and the National Repertory Orchestra
(Breckenridge, CO).
As an
Educator, David joined the Percussion Faculty at West Chester University of
Pennsylvania in the fall of 2009. He
teaches applied lessons, percussion methods classes, and co- directs the Steel
Band. David was brought on as faculty
and started a Percussion Ensemble at the University of the Sciences in
Philadelphia in 2015. David taught at
the Darlington Fine Arts Academy for 10 years instructing all ages in
Percussion. He has instructed many High
School Drum lines, and performs many educational concerts throughout the
Philadelphia region. He enjoys playing
Percussion duo concerts for both children and adults with his wife Angela, who
is Associate Principal Timpanist and Section Percussionist of the Philadelphia
Orchestra.
David has
recorded with the Philadelphia Orchestra, The Albany Symphony, NFL Films, and
Orchestra 2001. Three of his latest
Orchestra 2001 recordings were nominated for a Grammy award. He has also been asked to play Timpani and
Percussion on the albums of L.L Cool J., Lana Del Rey, and R. Kelly.
David
graduated from Temple University with his Bachelors and Masters Degrees in
Percussion Performance. He studied with
Alan Abel, Glenn Steele, Jonathan Haas, and had additional studies with Cloyd
Duff.
David is a Performing Artist for Zildjian Cymbals, Grover Pro
Percussion, and Innovative Percussion.